8 Flawless Moments From Beyoncé’s Lemonade

Fans have long awaited new music from their Queen and she delivered. Beyoncé dropped her visual album, “Lemonade,” exclusively on HBO and these are the best moments from it.

Lemonade has ignited a media frenzy across the world. Beyoncé sparks controversy and speaks out against real issues that are affecting us today.

The visual album follows Beyoncé as she confronts the issues of infidelity, and also pays a bold tribute to African-Americans, especially women.

Lemonade was advertised on HBO as only a special for the cable network, but halfway through the feature, Beyoncé dropped the album by the same name: Lemonade.

The one-hour special is full of exposed and surging emotions running through chapters of ‘Intuition’ and ‘Denial,’ swelling into ‘Anger,’ ‘Apathy,’ ‘Emptiness’ and ‘Accountability’ before transitioning towards the end to ‘Reformation,’ ‘Forgiveness’ and ‘Hope.’ This all culminates in the final chapter of ‘Redemption.’

Beyoncé truly takes her listeners on a journey through all of the emotional chapters people go through in life, especifically that of a scorned woman. Although she begins on a negative, angry note, she shows people that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel and encourages them to have hope.

The album was orignally rumored to serve as Beyoncé’s divorce announcement, but Jay was featured in the ‘Forgivess’ chapter of the record and appears in the video, “Sandcastles.” This last piece of the album seemed to signify that he is finally forgiven and able to reenter her life and heart.

1. Personal yet relateable

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The album is very personal for Beyoncé, but also extremely relatable for other people. It makes B seem more human to her fans and allows them to see into her life and heart. Beyoncé is known for keeping her personal life very private and only sharing what she chooses to.

Something that makes this album special and different for the rest, is that this album follows a storyline, song-by-song, that takes the listener on a journey with her through these emotions and feelings.

Tidal, which has the exclusive streaming rights for Lemonade, called the album, “a conceptual project based on every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing.”

So, while Beyoncé is not exactly saying that this is a direct portrayal of her own personal life, it is also for women everywhere to relate to be able to relate to.

2. Engaging videos and storytelling

A whole album of music videos? If any other artist did this, it might get tedious. Each video on the album is intricate, detailed and unique.

Her surprise, self-titled LP released in 2014 was one for the books, but Lemonade really took the visuals to the next level.

Beyoncé debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and became the fastest selling album in the history of the iTunes Store.

This was later beaten when Adele released 25 later in the year; let’s see if B can bring the title back home with Lemonade.

This will set the bar much higher for music videos to come this year. The scenery of New Orleans was the perfect setting to capture the essence B was trying to portray.

3. Country roots

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Queen B might be the queen of all divas today, but she won’t forget the country roots she came from. In one of her cover artworks, she poses with her back facing the camera and a Texas state-shaped necklace hangs down her spine. B always represents and respects where she comes from and relates to people everywhere.

The singer really connected with her country background in ‘Daddy Lessons,’ a song about a father who teaches his girl to stand up for herself.

My personal favorite is her line from Formation, “I got hot sauce in my bag swag.” B loves and cherishes where she came from, and that really resonates with fans.

4. Amazing collaborations

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B is known to collaborate with the best of the best, and it was no different on Lemonade. On her last album, she had some help from her usual squad of friends, including Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean and Drake.

B has a whole new crew this time around and has recruited some fresh talent to add some new sound to her tracks.

In the video for ‘Sorry,’ we see Serena Williams twerkin’ her alongside of Beyoncé who sits on a throne. Zendaya and Amandla Stenberg from The Hunger Games also made a cameo in the video.

Hubby Jay-Z also made a small appearance during the passionate track, ‘Sandcastles.’ Her vocal features on the album include The Weeknd, Jack White, Kendrick Lamar and James Blake.

The track ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’ was co-written by members of Led Zepplin. Electronic Producer, Diplo, also had an influence on the album, co-writing two songs with B.

Beyoncé is always looking to improve, expand and create new music, which is why fans love her so much. She is all-inclusive of genres, themes and artists, and that is what makes her music go above and beyond the rest.

5. Homage in the title

What does Lemonade mean, and why is it the whole album title? Well, it actually came from Beyoncé’s late grandmother, Agnez Dereon: “I had my ups and downs, but I always found the inner strength to pull myself up. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.” It all makes sense now. Like the saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” So clever, Beyoncé.

It resonates with the theme of making the best of what you are given, working hard and seeing eventual success.

6. Celebrates black women

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The record is a wonderful celebration of black women in America and across the world. With all of the hostility, anger and rage Americans are feeling after the treatment of black people by police and the government, Beyoncé is shedding a positive light on the situation.

She is also bringing attention and awareness to a younger audience who may not be as involved in the political issues in the country.

Although she did get a lot of hate after her SuperBowl performance for supposedly being anti-police, she later clarified in an interview in Elle’s May Issue: “I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”

She brings hope, and speaks openly about the issues that are going on in the country. The story of the album not only follows the trials and tribulations of Beyoncé and her life, but also the life of African-American women in general.

Malcolm X has a famous quote that says: “The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in American is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”

This is sadly accurate to this day; Beyoncé is bringing publicity to this issue, and she’s not apologizing for it. ‘Freedom’ is a track on the record that features rapper Kendrick Lamar who dives into the prevalence of racism in America today and sparks a desire to fight until things are made right.

7. Changing conversations

Beyoncé is really attempting to change the conversation between women. “It’s not about perfection. It’s about purpose. We have to care about our bodies and what we put in them. Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health—take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself.”—Beyoncé

8. Forgiveness

Towards the end of the video, the anger and hatred starts to dissolve and Beyoncé heads into a chapter entitled ‘Forgiveness.’

Videos and images of Jay and Blue Ivy start to show through, and family and love become more prominent themes. This part of the film is inspirational and hopeful because it shows happiness through struggle and forgiveness through hard times. Maybe she is suggesting that the two have worked through their marriage troubles and are in a better place.

Beyoncé is a true voice for all women and African-Americans. She speaks the truth and is blunt and unapologetic about it.

She is speaking out for scorned women everywhere, not only telling her own story. Beyoncé is a true artist, in that her album is made to be listened to as a collection of work, a story, which should be appreciated together.

People want to be inspired, feel understood, and feel motivated for change- which is exactly what Lemonade brings to the table. This album is already set to be wildly successful, and will have a major impact on music this year.

The album is streaming on Jay-Z’s service, Tidal, but if you aren’t a subscriber, don’t panic: the album is also available for sale on iTunes for $17.99 on Sunday, 24 hours after the release.

Beyoncé is already dominating the charts, monopolizing the top 6 songs; also holding #8, 9, 11, 12, & 16. You can also watch the entire visual album on HBO. What did you guys think of Lemonade? What is your favorite track?

About the author

Amanda R.

Amanda is the content creator for Dope&Broke, which specializes in discovering affordable alternatives to designer runway fashions, street style, etc. It also features snippets of celeb gossip, pop-culture & industry news. She is an espresso addict, puppy lover, avid music listener & style guru. Contact: dopebrokegirl@gmail.com

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